WT023 - SCOOTERS RULE

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Hanoi is all about its streets and has a good craziness going on. Scooters rule the public space, and actually for the best, because I cannot imagine this city with a non-stop car traffic. In the old quarters, some alleys are so narrow that it is almost impossible to drive if not with a scooter.


The area close to the Cho Dong Xuan Market is one of the most interesting to visit, even if there's no typical monument around. Everything and anything can be bought there. We stayed in a laid-back hostel called Republik Backpackers Hostel just a couple of minutes away from the market, but if not this one, you will certainly find many other options. Hanoi is famed for its hostel culture, including afternoon free beer, and where you can also book several day-tours - like to Halong Bay, Sapa or alternatively the Snake Bite (a culinary experience).


Coffee shops, food stalls and restaurants with tiny welcoming benches can be found in every corner, since the Vietnamese people cannot stop eating and drinking. Same with shopping! In the old quarters, streets are better known for the goods they sell. There's a street for spices, shoes, cutlery and pans, sweets, tobacco, fabrics, toys, other for metal scraps and so on.


The most touristic place you can visit in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a memorial for the Vietnamese Revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Known to his people as "Uncle Ho", his body is preserved in a glass case inside the Mausoleum, although against his wishes.


Next to it, there's the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, where he lived intermittently from 1958 to 1969. A walk through the Thanh Niên Street is a walk between two lakes, where also the Tran Quoc Pagoda is located.


Tip: visit the Sunday's night market and always eat where the locals eat, so you can have Hanoi's authentic food experience. Try a Bahnmi Sandwich with typical Vietnamese bread.

Next Stop: Cat Ba Island (Ha Long Bay), Vietnam


Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

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